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A Korean martial art known for its versatility, hapkido incorporates kicking, punching, throwing, joint locks and pressure point strikes. Hapkido translates roughly as "the way of coordinated power" and is based upon principles rather than a static syllabus of techniques. One might say that hapkido shows us an approach in how to both create and deal most efficiently with force. Applying this approach to every range and area of fighting, hapkido seeks to be a truly comprehensive art. Hapkido is characterized by powerful, relaxed, flowing movements which are in evidence both in its spectacular arsenal of kicking techniques and its joint lock throws. Our particular school emphasizes applying these principles to punching and hand strikes to a much greater degree than do most hapkido schools. The Founder of the art, Choi Yong-Sul, is reputed to have studied Daito-ryu while living in Japan and returned to Korea where he taught high-level practitioners of other martial arts. These martial artists in turn applied Choi's governing principles to techniques found in other arts greatly broadening the range of techniques to include the wide array of strikes and throws which exist in the art today. The leading teachers of the art today are Ji Han-Jae, Kim Moo-Woong, Kim Moo-Jin, Kim Duk-Kyu, Kim Chong-Sung, Myung Kwang-sik, and Han Bong-Soo. One of the most outstanding practitioners of his generation is Master Hwang In-Shik who was recently promoted to 10th dan in the art. Daito-ryu Aikibudo Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu was a term coined by Takeda Sokaku for an art which seems to have been a combination of the traditional martial techniques of the Aizu clan and the techniques he had mastered from various traditional ko-ryu and contemporary martial systems he studied during his life long travels thoroughout Japan. Although Daito-ryu included the use of weapons it was for the unarmed portion of the art, involving joint manipulation, throwing and the striking of vital areas that the art became famous. Sokaku taught primarily police officers and military personnel his art during short seminars he conducted while travelling the breadth and width of the country. His most accomplished students included his son, Takeda Tokimune, ( who systematized the art and combined it with the Ona ha Itto-ryu to create his Daito-ryu Aikibudo system ), Sagawa Yukiyoshi, Hisa Takuma, Horikawa Kodo, all of whose own students presently have their own followings in Japan. One of the most outstanding practitioners of the art today is the Hakuhokai's Okayabashi Shogen, whose International Representative is Richard Carlow. Judo The concept of not resisting a powerful force directly but seeking rather to win by taking advantage of an opponent's weak points is by no means the sole property of the hapki or aiki arts. Judo may be described as a method of gaining victory through yielding to an opponent's force or movement. Also adapted from the concepts of jujutsu, the modern sporting variety of the art today limits itself for the greater part to applying these principles to throwing and pinning, as well as chokes and elbow submissions performed when both opponents are on the ground. The original concept of the art's founder, Kano Jigaro, was to create a form of physical recreation which would lead to "maximum efficiency in the use of one's power" while leading to the "mutual benefit" of all its practitioners. One of the advantages of the art is that, due to the fact that many of the more dangerous techniques were removed from jujutsu in its transformation into judo, it may be practiced to its fullest in free form contest without a need to suppress one's technique. Now a truly international art, great judo practitioners abound in countries all over the globe. One of the greatest exponents of the art was the late Mifune Kyuzo. Mochizuki Minoru, a student of both Kano and Mifune, also studied aikido in addition to judo, reaching its highest graded level of 10th dan. Combining techniques and concepts found in both arts he created his own Yoseikan Budo which is characterized by, among other things, truly beautiful sacrifice throws. Western Martial Sports and Muay Thai The arts of boxing and wrestling really need no introduction so universal is their practice. Due to their competitive nature and widespread practice many of the techniques found in these arts have been developed to an extraordinary level as has the athletic culture which supports the practice of these sports. One can learn a great deal by looking to the techniques and training practices of these combative sports. One Eastern combative sport which has done so is Thailand's own Muay Thai tradition. Dividing contests into rounds, fighters into weight divisions and adopting the use of protective equipment such as boxing gloves and groin protectors Muay Thai has wed its traditionally strong fighting tradition, containing punishing knee and elbow strikes and one of the most effective versions of the roundhouse kick found in any art, with modern sportive practices and training methods. |